Do Opossums Scream? The Startling Sounds They Make

If you’ve ever heard mysterious hisses, growls or screams outside your home at night, you may have wondered if an opossum was the culprit. Opossums are renowned for the odd noises they make, which can range from click-click-clicking to high-pitched squeals.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Opossums do not truly scream, but they make an array of vocalizations from hisses to squeals when threatened or asserting dominance.

An Introduction to Opossum Vocalizations

The Many Noises Opossums Make

Opossums have a diverse vocal repertoire that serves different purposes. These vocalizations include hissing, growling, screeching, and more. When threatened, opossums will often hiss or growl in an attempt to scare off predators.

This aggressive posturing is typically accompanied by baring their 50 sharp teeth. The hissing sound is similar to that made by a cat or snake. Hissing often transitions into a rumbling growl as the opossum gets more riled up. Another sound heard during confrontations is a shrill, screeching cry.

This happens when an opossum feels especially vulnerable, such as when cornered or when babies are threatened.

During the mating season, male opossums will make a clicking noise with their mouths to attract females. Females use a clicking call to gather their young. Baby opossums make little sneezing noises to signal their mother when riding on her back.

And all opossums, babies included, will screech loudly if captured or injured. So while opossums don’t exactly “scream,” they can make some jarring noises that serve important functions in communication, self-defense, and panic responses.

Reasons Why Opossums Vocalize

Opossums vocalize for several key reasons. One is to warn potential predators to back off. For example, hissing, growing, and screeching at threats is meant to signal danger and make the opossum seem fierce. These vocal warnings often work to scare off predators.

If the warnings don’t work, the noises may attract other predators who will attack the first one. So vocalizations play an important role in opossum posturing as well.

Another reason is communication between opossums. Female opossums use clicking calls to make sure their young are close by when foraging or moving to a new den site. Males vocalize during breeding season to attract mates.

And baby opossums use sneezing noises when riding on their mother’s back to get her attention. Additionally, vocalizations are thought to strengthen social bonds between female opossums who often den together. So vocal cues serve many social functions for opossum families and communities.

Specific Opossum Noises and What They Mean

Hissing

Opossums hiss as a defensive reaction when they feel threatened. The hissing sound is an involuntary response that happens when the opossum exhales sharply through its throat and teeth. This menacing hiss is meant to scare away potential predators and convey the message “back off!”

Opossums may hiss when cornered, or if they believe their young are in danger. The hissing noise can be quite startling to anyone unused to opossum vocalizations. But rest assured, while frightening, hissing is merely the opossum’s way of protecting itself and does not usually precede an attack.

Growling

Like hissing, growling is another sound opossums make when feeling defensive. Opossums produce a guttural, rumbling growl from deep within their throat when they want to appear fierce and intimidating. This low, rolling growl serves as a warning to potential predators that the opossum means business.

While the growling may sound aggressive, it’s very rare for an opossum to actually attack. The growl is all about posturing and making themselves appear as scary as possible so predators think twice before messing with them.

So if you hear an opossum growl, it’s simply voicing its displeasure and has no intention of becoming aggressive.

Teeth Clicking

Opossums are famous for their teeth-clicking displays when threatened. This chattering sound is made by rapidly opening and closing the mouth, which causes the upper and lower teeth to click together repeatedly. Teeth clicking serves a similar purpose as hissing and growling – to warn others away.

The strange chattering noise can sound jarring and ominous to unfamiliar ears. But rest assured the opossum is not poised to bite, just vocalizing its anxiety. Opossums will also sometimes quietly click their teeth together in a non-threatening way as a means of communication between mother and babies.

Squealing

Young opossums may squeal when separated from their mother or distressed. These high-pitched, plaintive squeals are the opossum equivalent of crying. They serve to get the mother’s attention and call her back to care for her babies.

Adult opossums can also emit a similar loud, squeaking sound when severely threatened or attacked. The shrieking helps startle predators and may also summon backup from other nearby opossums. So while we may perceive squealing as an annoying noise, it’s actually an important alarm call and survival strategy for opossums.

When and Why Opossums Make Noise

As a Defense Mechanism

Opossums are generally very quiet animals, but they will make noise when threatened as a defense mechanism. An opossum may hiss, growl, screech, or bare its teeth to try and scare away predators. These vocalizations are meant to startle potential attackers and give the opossum a chance to escape.

According to a study by the Opossum Society, around 90% of opossums will respond aggressively and make these noises when cornered. It’s an instinctive reaction meant to make them seem fierce. However, opossums are not typically aggressive animals and prefer to avoid confrontation if possible.

During the Mating Season

Male opossums will make loud vocalizations like screeches and grunts during breeding season to attract females. These mating calls can occur from late January through October depending on climate and location.

Males have a two-pronged penis and sperm competition is intense, so they want to call as many females to them as possible. According to research, male opossums have even been known to kill potential competing males during this heated breeding period.

The loud noises are meant to signal to female opossums that a virile male is ready to mate. So while the calls can be jarring for people to hear, they are simply part of the opossum’s reproductive rituals.

When Separated from Their Mother

Baby opossums can make high-pitched squeaking or screeching noises when they become separated from their mother. Opossum babies are about the size of a bee when born and immediately crawl into their mother’s pouch to nurse and continue developing.

If a baby accidentally falls out of the pouch, it will cry out loudly. The mother may then search around to retrieve the wayward young. According to wildlife removal experts, these separation squeals are the loudest noises opossums make aside from their mating calls.

So while distressing, it signals an opossum mother’s devotion to reunite with her offspring.

How to Identify Opossum Sounds

Differences From Other Wildlife Vocalizations

Opossums make a variety of vocalizations that sound different from other wildlife. Their hissing, screeching, and growling can be quite scary if you’re not expecting it! Here are some key differences:

• Hissing: Opossums tend to hiss when frightened. This long, drawn-out hiss sounds more like a snake than other wildlife vocalizations.
• Screeching: A loud, piercing scream that opossums make when threatened. The startling noise is meant to scare away predators.
• Growling: Opossums produce a guttural, growling noise much lower in pitch than sounds made by other animals like raccoons or foxes.

So if you hear odd hisses, shrieks, or rumbly growls outside at night, chances are it’s from your neighborhood opossum. The sounds are their way of saying “back off!” when bothered.

Recording and Playing Back Noises

An easy way to identify opossum noises is to record sounds you hear at night and compare recordings to known opossum vocalizations. Wildlife sites like National Wildlife Federation provide audio clips of hissing, screeching and even baby possum sounds.

You can also try playing back any recordings of mystery noises to see if they elicit a vocal response. Opossums may screech back if they hear a recording of another opossum screeching. Confirming species this way takes some patience, but can be fun to try!

So now you know how to ID bizarre opossum vocalizations. Next time you hear that spine-chilling hiss or screech outside, you can tell your friends it’s just the possums talking! 😄

What to Do If You Hear Opossum Screams

Leave Them Alone If Not Threatened

Opossums are generally harmless creatures that want to be left alone. If you hear their screams or cries at night, the best course of action is usually to give them space. As nocturnal animals, opossums are most active from dusk until dawn looking for food.

They may make alarming noises while rummaging through trash or defending their territory, but they are not aggressive unless provoked. Unless they pose an immediate threat to people, pets, or property, the Humane Society recommends allowing them to wander off.

Some key facts to remember:

• Opossums have over 50 sharp teeth and can deliver a nasty bite, but they prefer to avoid all confrontations.
• They eat snails, slugs, insects, small rodents, fruit, and even pet food left outside, helping control pests.
• While their screams are frightening, opossums only attack other animals in self-defense, not offense.

So hearing an opossum’s growl or scream outside at night may be concerning, but they likely just want to rummage through your trash undisturbed. As long as they aren’t showing aggression or posing a threat, the Humane Society recommends calmly leaving them alone.

Scare Them Away From Your Property

However, if an opossum becomes a nuisance around your home, there are humane ways to encourage them to leave.

Here are effective scaring techniques:

• Make loud noises like shouting or banging pots and pans whenever you see them.
• Leave bright lights on at night to deter them from approaching.
• Use motion-sensor sprinklers to startle them if they come near.
• Remove any outdoor food sources like fallen fruit or accessible trash.

Using such humane scaring devices teaches the opossums your yard is not a source of easy food and encourages them to look elsewhere. Check areas around your home for holes or gaps where they could nest, and block access to these spots.

Call Wildlife Control If Problems Persist

If opossum issues continue despite efforts to scare them off your property and block access, call a professional wildlife control company for humane removal assistance. Trapping and relocating the opossums at least 5 miles away disrupts their nesting patterns and reduces the likelihood they will return.

Warning signs it’s time to call the pros:

• You find opossums have nested in your roof, crawlspace, or other areas of your home.
• They show no fear of loud noises and other scarers.
• You spot baby opossums following their mother at night.
• They hiss, growl, or show teeth when approached.

A licensed wildlife management professional has the equipment, training, and permits necessary to trap problematic opossums and transport them out of residential areas humanely. This restores peace around your home by moving these startling but helpful creatures to more suitable habitats.

Conclusion

While opossums don’t truly scream, their wide repertoire of clicks, squeals and hisses can be alarming and mysterious to hear at night. By understanding the reasons opossums vocalize and what their sounds mean, you can identify if opossums are present near your home.

With this knowledge, you’ll also know how best to react to opossum noises and when professional removal may be needed.